Connection devices for garments



A. H. CLEVELAND Filed March a, 1961 F l G .1.

"INVENTOR. Anlta H.-Cleveland.

CONNECTION DEVICES FOR GARM ENTS Fl 6. s. 2

mummmm' 6 7 FIGA.

Dec. 3, 1963 UH HI United States Patent 3,112,491 CONNECTION DEVICES FQR GARMENTS Anita H. Cleveland, 3645 N. Atlantic Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Filed Mar. 8, 1961, Ser. No. 94,382 3 Claims. (Cl. 2-90) This invention relates to outer garments and more particularly to sweaters and similar articles of wearing apparel, with special reference to means by which the garment can be properly maintained in position of wear while being used over the shoulders as a wrap or cape.

Many garments such as sweaters, and particularly those intended for female wear, are often placed over the shoulders and worn as a wrap or cape at times when complete fitment of the garment in its normal position of wear is not required or desired. When such a garment is worn cape-like over the shoulders, the conventional fastening elements, such as buttons and buttonholes, and which are arranged along the edges of the front opening of the garment, cannot be brought together to hold the garment in its cape-like position on the wearer. Various devices, such as chains with clips at their opposite ends, have been employed to serve as a link between the opposite edges at the front of the garment, but such devices have been found unsatisfac tory for various reasons, one of which consists in the tendency of the clips to mutilate or tear the material of the garment, particularly when the same is a knitted sweater. Another reason is that the chain must be detached from the garment during laundering and thus often becomes mislaid or lost.

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to provide a connection device for use on sweaters and similar garments which will enable the-garment to be worn cape-wise on the shoulders, which connection device serves to extend between the buttons and button-holes at the front of the garment and serves as a connecting link between the same, thereby retaining the garment in proper position of wear over the shoulders.

It is an object of the invention to provide a connec tion device which can, if desired, be made largely of material to resemble or be the same as that of the garment, and which can therefore present the appearance of being a part of the garment.

It is an object of theinvention to provide a connection device which can, if desired, be permanently attached to the garment and be composed of a material which will enable it to be laundered along with the garment.

It is an object of the invention to provide a connection piece which can be attached inside of the garment when in a position of non-use, whereby the device will be retained in constant attachment to the garment and ready for operative positioning thereon whenever required.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a part of a garment, such as a sweater, showing the same as it substantially appears when draped cape-like over the shoulders, and provided with the improved connection piece;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a part of the garment to which one end of the connection piece is attached;

FIG. 3 shows how the connection piece is held within the garment when not in use;

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FIG. 4 shows a completely detachable connection piece, and

FIG 5 shows one manner in which a detachable connection piece, such as shown in FIG. 4, may be attached to the garment.

Referring to the drawing, 1 generally indicates a garment which may be a jacket, sweater or other like outer garment, the garment being provided with the conventional neck opening 2 surrounded by a knitted neck band, and edges 3 and 4 at the front of the garment. The front edge 3 is provided with the usual row of buttonholes 6 for the reception of the buttons 6 provided along the opposite front edge 4 of the garment. In the normal position of wear of the garment, when the arms are inserted through the sleeves, the buttons 5 may be readily inserted through the button-holes 6 to thereby secure the garment around the body in the known manner. However, in cases where it is desired to drape the garment over the shoulders and without entering the arms through the sleeves, the edges 3 and 4 at the front of the garment cannot be brought sufficiently close together to enable the buttons 5 tobe inserted through the button-holes 6. Therefore, in order to maintain the garment securely in properly draped or cape-like position on the wearer, the connection piece of strip indicated at 7 is employed.

The connection piece 7 may be composed of the same material or materials of which the garment is made and thus so match the same that the piece 7 appears to be a part of the garment. It can also be made of elastic or inelastic material; of contrasting or different material from the garment, and it may be knitted, woven, crocheted or otherwise formed, and is preferably of a material which enables it to be laundered along with the garment. It can also be gaily decorated or embellished to add a touch of attractiveness to the garment. The connection piece or strip 7 is shown in the drawing in a primary, simple form to facilitate the illustration of the features of the invention.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2. and 3, the connection piece 7 has one end attached to the back of the front part of the garment by stitchmg at the point 9 directly behind the upper button 5. The opposite or free end of the connection piece 7 is provided with an attached button 8 which can, if desired, match the buttons 5 in size and coloring or be identical therewith. When the garment is placed across the shoulders in the cape-like position of FIG. 1, the button -8 is entered through the top button-hole 6 and the connection piece will then bridge or span the space between the two edges 3 and 4 of the garment and zvill thus maintain the garment in position over the shoulers.

When the use of the connection piece is not required, such as when the garment is normally Worn with the arms extended through its sleeves, the connection piece may then be located wholly Within the garment and thus concealed from external view. This disposition of the connection piece will be noted in FIG. 3, wherein it will be seen that there is provided on the inside of the garment at a distance from the point of anchorage 9 of the connection piece, a loop member 12 which may be stitched or otherwise finmly attached to the inside of the ganment. The distance between the loop member 12 and the point 9 is such that the connection piece, when brought inwardly and flatly against the inner surface of the garment, will have its button 8 reach the loop member 12 for insertion therethrough as seen in FIG. 3. This arrangement is such that when the connection piece is positioned within the garment as above explained and is held in such position by the engagement of the button 8 with the loop member 12, the connection piece will be completely and invisibly disposed Within the garment. At the same time, the connection piece will always be ready at hand for use as disclosed in FIG. 1 when the garment is draped over the shoulders as distinguished from being normally and conventionally worn. The position of the loop 12 may be varied. It can be located on the inside of the neckband or at any other convenient point provided that it is within reach of the button 8- when the connection piece is disposed on the inside of the garment.

in H6. 4 is shown another embodiment of the invention, wherein the connection piece is so constructed as to be wholly detachable from the garment. In this construction, the button 8 is provided at one end for engagement with the top button-hole 6 as heretofore described, while the other end of the connection piece is provided with a loop 16, stitched or othenwise secured at 11 to the end of the connection piece. With this arrangement, the connection piece can have the loop 1% engaged with the top button and the button 8 on its opposite end engaged with the top button-hole 6. As a further alternative, the garment may be provided with a button 13 located inside of the garment behind the top button 5, and the loop 19" can be extended around the button 13 to thereby anchor the looped end of the connection piece to the garment. This connection piece can be maintained inside of the garment in position of non-use, by engaging the button 8 with the loop 12. as previously described, while the loop 18 remains attached to the button 13.

By means of the arrangements described, a connec tion piece is provided which connects the opposite spaced edges of a sweater or similar garment while the garment is in a draped, cape-like position over the shoulders, and thus holds the garment properly in place. The connection piece may be composed of such materials that it appears as a part of the garment and can be laundered therewith. When not in use it can be attached on the inside of the garment and thus concealed from view while being available for use whenever required. If made completely detachable, as in the case of the connection piece shown in FIG. 4, it can be attached inside of the garment at 'a point other than that disclosed in F163. 3 and 4, such as for example, along a seam on the inside of the garment with suitable attaching means there provided for its reception. In its use as herein described, the connection piece cannot harm or in any way damage the garment and can be made to form an attractive and useful adjunct to the garment.

Having thus described several embodiments of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming Within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an outer garment such as a sweater having its opposite edges respectively provided with buttons and button-holes, a connection piece in the form of a strip having one endattached behind one of the buttons and having a button provided at its other end for coupling with one of the button-holes, means located within the garment for engagement by the button on the end of the strip to thereby wholly dispose the strip within the garment in a position of non-use, the strip having a loop at its end remote from its button, which loop extends behind the top button on the garment, and the means located within the garment consisting of a loop for engagement with the button at the end of the strip.

2. In an outer garment such as a sweater, said sweater having its opposite edges at the front provided respectively with buttons and button-holes, a connection strip having an end attached to the inside of the garment near one of its edges, the strip having a button at its opposite end, the strip being adapted to be extended between the edges of the :garment when the garment is disposed in draped position over the shoulders of the wearer and said edges are in spaced-apart relation, the strip when in such extended position, being arranged to have the button carried by it engaged with the top button-hole on the garment, and a loop carried by the garment on its inside face and near its neckband and adapted to receive the button on the strip when the strip is wholly disposed on the inside of the garment in a position of non-use.

3. A sweater or similar garment including a connection piece having a loop at one end and a button at its other end, said sweater having a button on one edge of the garment at the front thereof adjacent the neck of the sweater and a but-tonliole on another edge at the front thereof adjacent the neck of the sweater to cooperate with said button, said sweater also having a second button and a loop secured to the inside of said sweater, said second button being secured behind said first mentioned sweater button, said connection piece loop being detachably connected to said second button and said connection piece button being detaohably connected to said button-hole on the garment at the front thereof in one position of said connection piece, said second button and said loop on the inside of the garment being respectively detachably connected to said connection piece loop and button in a second position of said connection piece when it is desired to store said connection piece in an invisible position on the inside of said garment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN AN OUTER GARMENT SUCH AS A SWEATER HAVING ITS OPPOSITE EDGES RESPECTIVELY PROVIDED WITH BUTTONS AND BUTTON-HOLES, A CONNECTION PIECE IN THE FORM OF A STRIP HAVING ONE END ATTACHED BEHIND ONE OF THE BUTTONS AND HAVING A BUTTON PROVIDED AT ITS OTHER END FOR COUPLING WITH ONE OF THE BUTTON-HOLES, MEANS LOCATED WITHIN THE GARMENT FOR ENGAGEMENT BY THE BUTTON ON THE END OF THE STRIP TO THEREBY WHOLLY DISPOSE THE STRIP WITHIN THE GARMENT IN A POSITION OF NON-USE, THE STRIP HAVING A LOOP AT ITS END REMOTE FROM ITS BUTTON, WHICH LOOP EXTENDS BEHIND THE TOP BUTTON ON THE GARMENT, AND THE MEANS LOCATED WITHIN THE GARMENT CONSISTING OF A LOOP FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BUTTON AT THE END OF THE STRIP. 